INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDY
“Buy with a golden curl”
August 30: Introduction to the major & literary studies
Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants”
Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Literary Devices / Canon, Genre, Period
HW: (1) Letter to the Professor & revision; (2) Read Leaves of Grass and linked essays below.
September 6: building Close readings
Building Close Readings: Whitman, Leaves of Grass & Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants”
Read Wimsatt and Beardsley, "The Intentional Fallacy" (here)
Cleanth Brooks, "The Heresy of Paraphrase" (here)
HW: (1) Finish reading Leaves of Grass (2) Read, print, and annotate poetry packet (3) Make a glossary to study for the literary devices quiz
September 13 : Morgan Library Trip
***Class meets at 7 pm at The Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets.***
(4 train to 42nd Street or 6 train to 33rd Street)
Free Fridays at The Morgan Library: Walt Whitman Exhibit
See also The Walt Whitman Initiative online
HW: (1) Field Report (2) Study for Literary Devices Quiz (3) Readings for Sep. 20
SEPTEMBER 20: Poetry & Scansion
Literary Devices quiz
Field Reports due (in hard copy)
Print out, read, and mark up the following readings:
Poetry packet (here): Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Harryette Mullen, and Langston Hughes
Grammar Help (from Purdue Owl online)
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Fragment Exercises
Run-On Sentences
Run-On Sentence Exercises
Comma Usage
Comma Usage Exercises
SEPTEMBER 27: Historicizing contexts
HW: (1) Make sure each group emails me their poetry from class.
(2) Read and analyze Shakespeare Sonnet 130 along with Haryette Mullen. Write out a short analysis/close reading of the two together to hand in at class.
(3) Choose one Hispanic Heritage Month to attend and write up a report of in lieu of our 11/11 class.
(4) Borrow or buy any major anthology of English Literature and bring it with you to class.
(5) Work through any grammar problems using the link above. Bring any questions you have to next week’s class.
Timelines Activity in groups. (Finish for homework).
Harryette Mullen, "European Folktale Variant" (here)
Dictionary of National Biography
October 4: Crafting the English Essay
HW: 1) Complete Timelines Activity to hand in next week. 2) Research and jot down some biographical info on Ernest Hemingway, Christina Rossetti, Herman Melville, Mary Shelley or any of our poets using the DNB or an anthology. How does this change your reading of a text? 3) Read and annotate your copy of “Bartleby the Scrivener.” Bring it with you to class.
Herman Melville, “Bartleby the Scrivener”
Timelines Activity due.
Critical Essay assigned.
HW: (1) Choose one Hispanic Heritage Month event to attend and write up a report of in lieu of our 11/11 class. Schedule is linked here. The last event is on 10/15!
(2) Start drafting Critical Essay. Rough drafts due in hard copy 11/1.
October 11: Library Session — Historicizing & adding contexts
Class meets in the lobby of Leonard Lief Library!
Be sure to have your Lehman I.D. on you or you will not have access to the library.
Essay Grading Rubric (here)
Below are links on preparing critical editions and scholarly editions from Vanessa Arce:
October 18: THEORY I—Psychoanalytic READINGS
Quiz on last week’s library session. (Please review your notes.)
Read Barry, Psychoanalytic Criticism (Chapter 5)
Anthology Project assigned.
In-class writing activity: Virtue Essay - detailed information on the competition is here.
HW: 1) Write up a keyword paragraph for psychoanalytical criticism. 2) Finish up and proofread your Virtue Essay. Bring your finished draft to class (printed out if you’re done) or on a laptop (if you want some last-minute help on it). 3) Read Marxism chapter from Barry.
October 25: THEORY II—MARXIST READINGS
Read Barry, Marxist criticism (Chapter 8)
Print out, read, and annotate George Orwell, “Bookshop Memories”
Lesson on “The Art of Quoting” and incorporating passages.
Send out Virtue Essays for competition.
HW: 1) Write up keyword paragraphs for Marxist criticism. 2) Read Barry, Chapter 6
November 1: No Class
Watch and write up a field report on Knock Down the House on Netflix if you couldn’t make it to any Hispanic Heritage Month events.
Work on your Critical Essay & Anthology Projects.
Read Goblin Market and bring your copy to class next week.
November 8: Theory III—feminist readings
Read Barry, Chapter 6
Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market
Lesson on “How to Begin/How Not to Begin an Essay”
HW: 1) Write up keyword paragraph for feminist criticism. 2) Read Barry, Chapter 10 and Orwell story linked below 3) Bring rough drafts if you like. Papers due Nov 22.
November 15: THeory IV—Critical Race Theory
Critical Essays due!
Read and take notes on Delgado and Stefancic’s Critical Race Theory: An Introduction
Toni Morrison, Cinderella’s Stepsisters
ZZ Packer, “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere”
In-class activity: Every Single Word Spoken by a Person of Color versions of Lord of the Rings and Maleficent.
November 22: Theory V — postcolonial readings
Read Barry, Chapter 10
George Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant" (here)
Class Activity: Preface to your Anthology
Rough drafts workshop
HW: 1) Write up keyword paragraph for postcolonial criticism. 2) Read the Critical Race Theory introduction and the 3 short stories linked below.
november 28: No class - happy Thanksgiving!
Work on your Anthology Project!
Complete a full draft over the break.
HW: Print out, read, and annotate Anne Fadiman, “The Literary Glutton”
December 6: The Literary Essay
Discussion: Anne Fadiman, “The Literary Glutton”
In Class: Timed Personal Essay/Literary Essay activity
Critical Essays Presentation: reminders for you to take with you for future semesters
Citation & Grammar Presentation.
HW: Check your email and fill out the Course Evaluation before it expires! A link should have been sent to you from the Vice Provost.